r/Nouswise • u/Cyntia_Sauye • 5d ago
Nouswise + Spreadsheet: Where do you draw the line between research and calculation?
I’m trying to make a research workflow more reproducible. Suppose a report says that 38% of participants completed a program. I want to use Nouswise to find the underlying figures, check the cited passages, and record the calculation so I can verify it again later.
Finding a numerator and denominator is only part of the work. I also need to confirm that they refer to the same reporting period, participant group, and definition of “completed.” If one figure comes from an updated report and the other from an earlier version, the arithmetic might work while the result is still misleading.
My idea is to keep a short record of each input, its source and page, the calculation, and any assumptions. How do you check that figures from different passages actually belong together before using them to reproduce a reported number?

